The objective of this proposal is to continue to make available and improve an established herpes B virus (Cercopithecine herpes virus l ) diagnostic resource laboratory for worldwide use in emergency cases of zoonotic transmission of this deadly agent as well as to support the establishment and maintenance of invaluable NIH specific pathogen-free captive macaque colonies. During the brief tenure of this laboratory, over 97,000 individual samples from both humans and non human primates have been evaluated and databased.
The specific aims necessary to accomplish the objective are: 1) maintain a diagnostic staff consisting of virologists and serologists that perform virological and serological testing for NIH AIDS animal model facilities as well as for occupational health services managing zoonotic exposures to herpes B virus--in these circumstances, the laboratory must be capable of operating on emergency- ready status; 2) isolate B virus from submitted materials collected from humans exposed as a result of injury or accidents while working with macaques or macaque cells or tissues; 3) identify B virus grown from submitted specimens, using restriction endonuclease analyses and polymerase chain reaction as well as polypeptide analysis from infected cell lysates; 4) evaluate and standardize new, superior diagnostic technologies within the diagnostic arm of the laboratory as they are developed in the adjacent B virus research laboratory and other collaborating laboratories, e.g., PCR of suspect antigen with defined DNA probes, monoclonal capture assays, western blot analyses of sera, and field testing designed to be safe, specific, and highly sensitive, facilitating easier testing for NIH's Regional Primate Research Centers and associated resources including Chinese and Indonesian macaques prior to importation; 5) disseminate updated information regarding B virus to veterinarians, investigators, and health care workers, including establishing network interactions that will educate as well as facilitate communication during emergency medical crises and meet specific pathogen- free colony management needs of the professional community. In the event of emergencies, the resource will assist medical and scientific staffs together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The proposed diagnostic resource, as part of the ongoing B virus basic research laboratory, will facilitate prevention and control of future B virus outbreaks and fatalities in both human and non human primates.
